Brush clearing and fire prevention is a top priority at the Douglas Family Preserve

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -  A priority project to clear brush and dead plants from the Douglas Family Preserve in Santa Barbara is underway.

It's been months in the planning.

Santa Barbara City Parks Open Space Planner, Monique O'Conner, said "first off, we map it out. You make a site specific work plan. A biologist comes in and they flag the work area. Orange means stuff that we want to take out, because it is a fire risk or an invasive species or both. Pink is something we want to preserve."

The City of Santa Barbara Parks Department, Fire department, and the public met recently to talk about the 39 work areas. Most people understood the fire risks from the dead brush and the environmental impacts of invasive species. But some wanted it left alone.

O'Conner said, "people care about this place like we care about it, you know? So yeah, there were some folks that were like, 'Hey, it's a preserve. We don't really want you to touch anything.'"

It was a strategic plan and even went beyond the brush into some of the unwanted trees. The strategy was to remove fuel from any potential fire.

Mark VonTillow is a Santa Barbara City Fire Wildland Specialist who said "if a fire were to start, it would be hard for it to spread." He said the clearings would keep the fire low to the ground where the firefighters could attack it.

The Douglas Family Preserve is loaded with dead brush. A spark and some wind could set the brush on fire and spread it immediately towards some homes.

The crew is paid for in-part through a CalFire grant and the Douglas Family Preserve endowment.  

One of the members has seen the community's reaction.

Hannah Falkner was in the middle of chipping branches with her work crew and said, " the public is super thankful for the work we are doing.  Especially those that walk these trails every single day. They're loving it."

She is concerned about all the homes nearby. "We're right next door, his beautiful wildland that is right up to neighborhoods." 

The work will also help fire rigs get in to some brush clogged areas.

VonTillow said one goal is "to improve one of the roads going down the middle so we can get fire trucks in there. It is starting to close down there, 6 feet wide in some places. Access for us is 10 feet wide and 13 1/2 feet tall for a fire truck to get in."

The work is expected to continue four days a week into January.

O'Conner said "it's really exciting to be out here improving it and getting to actually to do work and make it a better place for the native species, the wildlife, and the people that use it."